Insect Projects for Kindergarten Students

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Insects are the largest group of animals on the planet, but to kindergartners, they may be little more than bugs. Insect projects help kindergarten students understand the important role insects play in the ecosystem. The projects also help kindergartners gain empathy for and interest in these often strange creatures. Kindergartners have relatively short attention spans, so projects that are short, engaging and focused work best for this developmental age.

Keeping Classroom Insects

Insects can be fascinating classroom pets. Don't ask students to keep insects at home, because kindergartners aren't mature enough to care for them without assistance. They may also try to catch their own insects, and may not be able to tell the difference between a friendly insect and a potentially dangerous one. Instead, keep a classroom ant farm or build an outdoor butterfly garden on the playground. Then take 15 minutes each day to observe the insects and ask students what activity the insects are involved in. Use these observations to teach your students about the insects' behavior by, for example, emphasizing the cooperative nature of an ant colony.

Insect Life Cycle Crafts

Many insects begin life quite differently from how they end their lives. For example, a butterfly begins as a caterpillar. Kindergartners don't yet have strong abstract thinking skills, so activities that make an insect's life cycle concrete are suited to this age. Design a classroom poster that demonstrates the life cycle of a butterfly, then adopt a classroom insect at the beginning stages of its life cycle and follow the insect to adulthood. Alternatively, have a classroom insect day during which students learn the basics of an insect's life cycle, then get assistance with a project mapping out the cycle, such as drawing a poster or placing pre-cut pictures in the correct order.

Becoming an Insect

Kindergartners still engage heavily in pretend play; this type of play can help them better understand insects. Students understand what it's like to be an insect when they draw or design an insect project. Students can color in pre-made hats or masks to mimic an insect's appearance or create these items from egg cartons, stiff paper and plastic eyes. Separate students into groups, with each group focusing on a different insect or portion of the insect's life cycle. Encourage students to embrace their role by asking each group questions about life as their insect.

Insect Ecosystems

Insects play diverse and important roles in the ecosystem. Some wasps, for example, eat other insects and prevent overpopulation. Make a large classroom diorama displaying the role various insects play. Show a mosquito trapped in a spider's web, an ant carrying away waste and a beetle eating decaying material. Use this as a springboard for discussion about what life would be like in a world without insects. This can be an ongoing classroom project for an entire year. For example, you might add grass to the project one week, then incorporate trees, then begin adding insects. Try presenting the project as part of an end-of-the-year performance.

About the Author

Van Thompson is an attorney and writer. A former martial arts instructor, he holds bachelor's degrees in music and computer science from Westchester University, and a juris doctor from Georgia State University. He is the recipient of numerous writing awards, including a 2009 CALI Legal Writing Award.